Staff Reporter.
Manchester City have extended their Premier League lead on Tuesday with an utterly comprehensive 7-0 win over Leeds United at the Etihad Stadium.
The defending champions were at their scintillating best as they racked up their biggest victory of the season and moved further clear of Liverpool and Chelsea, who both play on Thursday.
In truth, City could have had far more than their seven goals such was their total dominance and the ease they repeatedly ripped through the visitors’ increasingly ragged defence.
Phil Foden opened the scoring after eight minutes, following up after Rodri’s effort was saved – although Stuart Dallas should have done far better with his attempted goal-line clearance.
Foden’s goal was City’s 500th in the Premier League in 207 games under Pep Guardiola, with the Spaniard becoming the quickest manager to reach that landmark – the previous best was Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, who took 234 matches.
It only took five minutes more before goal number 501 arrived, with Riyad Mahrez given time to bend in a cross from the right of the area for Jack Grealish to nod home a rare – for him – headed goal.
City did not stop coming forward and Kevin de Bruyne joined the party just after the half-hour mark, firing home from a Rodri pass for his first goal since mid-October.
That made sure of a seventh straight league win for Guardiola’s men but they were in the mood to dish out more punishment against a side that took four points off them last season, and beat them here with 10 men.
The second half had barely started when Mahrez made it 4-0, with a low shot that deflected in off Junior Firpo, before De Bruyne made it five with the best goal of the night, a thunderous strike into the top corner from distance.
John Stones made it six at the second attempt after Aymeric Laporte’s header was saved, and there was no respite for Leeds goalkeeper Illan Meslier as Nathan Ake headed home City’s seventh from a Foden corner.
Leeds’ fans were still singing at the final whistle but their defiance was not matched by their injury-hit side, who remain 15th after this demoralising defeat, and on the fringes of a relegation fight.
Leeds biggest-ever defeat in Englands’s top flight prior to this match was a 5-0 loss to Liverpool during the 1995-96 season.
“There is nothing positive to take away from our performance,” said Bielsa. “I can’t find anything that can be valued. When there’s nothing that’s well done, it’s not individualities that fail, but the conduction and organisation. There’s no justification I can offer.
“Everything that happened was what we wanted to avoid. As there’s nothing to take from it, it’s inevitable I have to take responsibility for a defeat of this type. We’ve never had a performance like the one today.”
De Bruyne, whose return to fitness was hampered by COVID-19, said the win was a “booster” for the side.
“I think we played incredibly well, especially against the way they pressed. We found the right times to attack them. When we were 3-0 or 4-0 up it gets tough for them and they tried to keep it tight in the second half, but we had a lot of chances to score more.
“It’s good for everybody, a lot of people who maybe didn’t play a lot played today and chipped in. For the whole team it is a booster.”
Man City are four points ahead of second-placed Liverpool in the table and five ahead of third-placed Chelsea, with Pep Guardiola’s team having played one more game than the chasing pair.